Quote Originally Posted by photophorous
I'm not sure what you mean about "explain the aperture..." The aperture does two things. First, it controls how much light comes through the lens, which is one aspect of exposure. Second, it determines how much depth of field the image will have, which determines how much of the image is in focus.

In regards to getting a good exposure, there are also two other factors. Aperture, shutter speed, and film speed all need to be set correctly, depending on how much light is available. The light meter will tell you how much light is available. I'm not sure the best place to read about this. Just search for something like "learning proper exposure settings." These fundamentals are the same for all cameras, regardless of film type or even if it's digital. Some cameras are just automated and do this all for you. The Mamiya will not. Old school photographers can judge light levels with the naked eye but that takes lots of practice. You will want a meter, but you could try using your digital camera as a meter to get started.

Depth of field is a different issue, which effects the look of the image. You can google this too. Greater DOF is when foreground and background elements are all in focus and this is achieved by using smaller apertures. Larger apertures result in only the point of focus being in focus and foreground and background elements are out of focus. This happens with larger apertures. This is a simplified explanation, but it is generally true for all cameras/lenses. However, there are other factors, such as focal length, distance of focus, and format (film) size that also effect DOF.

Paul

Edit: I forgot to say, Congrats on the C330! That's supposed to be a great camera and it sounds like you got a good deal.
thanks Paul

this is the camera i got from Ebay..

**Mamiya C330 Pro w 80mm f2.8 blue-dot lens & Prism Exc**

Not sure what blue dot lens is and prism exc no idea either.